wiry

adjective

ˈwī(-ə)r-ē 

wirier ˈwī-rē-ər  ; wiriest

1

a

archaic : made of wire

b

: resembling wire especially in form and flexibility

the wiry coat of the Irish terrier

wiry stems

c

of sound : produced by or suggestive of the vibration of wire

the violinist … often let his tone go nasal and wiry

—D. J. Henahan

2

: being lean, supple, and vigorous : sinewy

the wiry figure of a long-distance runner

—Phoenix Flame

wirily

ˈwī-rə-lē 

adverb

wiriness

ˈwī-rē-nəs 

noun

Examples of wiry in a Sentence

a man with long, wiry arms

She was lean and wiry from years of working out.

He has dark, wiry hair.

Recent Examples on the Web

To clean the mesh grilles—the soft, wiry panels in the earbud—dip your toothbrush into a cup of micellar water, and while holding the earbud upright so the mesh is facing you, gently rub the bristles, in a circular motion, across each mesh panel for 15 seconds. —Julia Ries, Outside Online, 14 Nov. 2024

Rogers, a slight man with wiry muscles built over decades of manual labor, moved into the apartment just before migrants from Venezuela began rolling into Denver. —Anjeanette Damon, ProPublica, 4 Nov. 2024

At sixty-three, Levin still has a boyish demeanor, with wiry curls and a gap-toothed grin. —Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024

Lowe channels the ebullient, wiry sounds of Sun Records, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Ricky Nelson, and the early British Invasion, and bends them to fit his own story. —Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

wiry

adjective

ˈwī(ə)r-ē 

wirier ˈwī-rē-ər  ; wiriest

1

: resembling wire in form and flexibility

wiry stems

2

: being slender yet strong and muscular

a wiry physique